Hose supporter



5. J. FALS'EY 2,303,446

HOSE SUPPORTER Filed Oct. 24, l94l INVENTOR v Ewan LT. -FAL5E ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1, 1942 warren starts TENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved hose supporter, and has for an object to provide a device of this character which may be engaged and disengaged with facility, and without injurious pulling upon or distortion of the stocking, and which when in place will be extremely fiat and will therefore not produce any appreciable bulge.

A further object is to provide a hose supporter constructed of two cooperating interlocking parts and a fabric tape member, the two interlocking parts being constructed of rigid non-resilient material, so that they may be readily fabricated from moulded plastic, hard rubber or similar materials, and in use will not deteriorate or become distorted in the manner of previous devices employing yieldable rubber or similar materials.

A further object is to provide a hose supporter adapted to be interlocked with the stocking top by engaging in the direction of the pull of the supporter, and which will grip the stocking top between the wedging non-yielding surfaces in a manner to firmly hold it without danger of slippage or abrasive wear, and wherein the pull of the supporter will tend to more firmly interlock the two parts of the fastening.

A further object is to provide a hose supporter in which the tape connected to one of the interlocking members to exert pull thereon into interlocking relation with the member, extends over the device and the portion of the stocking engaged therewith so that it exerts a constant holding down pressure upon the device and the stocking, tending to flatten the supporter and also to prevent wrinkles or bulges in the portion of the stocking engaging and surrounding the supporter.

It is a further object to provide improved adjusting means for increasing or decreasing the length of the tape member, and which eliminates the bulky metal buckle heretofore employed for this purpose.

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the hose supporter according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment of the invention, and showing the same in its operative position attached to a stocking top.

larged scale, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of the two interlocking members, namely the recessed base member.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation looking in the direction of the lower or bottom edge.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 'l! of Fig. 4.-

Fig. 8 is a plane view of the other interlocking member, namely the wedging tongue member.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the supporter, showing the parts in disengaged position.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the wedge member in its position about to enter interlocking relation with the recessed base member.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the parts in their cooperative interlocking position.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the hose supporter,

according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment of the invention shown therein, comprises a recessed base member l0, preferably of rectangular outline, having upon its forward side a pair of spaced upwardly converging flange formations l I, the inner walls I 2 of which are inclined at an acute angle to the base, so that the two flange members provide an undercut dove-tail like converging flange formation for receiving the interlocking tongue member, presently to be more fully described. The member ID is preferably formed of hard moulded plastic material, and the upper surfaces of the flange formations H can therefore conveniently be made in rounded form free from sharp edges, as shown clearly in Figs. 5 to 7, the general shape being that of a relatively flat pan-cake like formation, over which the portion of the stocking to be gripped is placed, and as will presently more fully appear.

At the upper portion of the base member 10, above the fiange formations ll, there is provided a tape receiving slot l3, the general direction of this slot being slightly upwardly inclined from the front to the rear, and preferably the bar portion M above the slot is forwardly offset to a slight degree, so that a guide recess I 5 is provided at the rearward side at the upper edge of the base member to receive the tape, the depth of this slotbeing substantially the same as the Fig. 2' is a vertical sectional view, on an en'- 55 thickness of the tape so that the entire struc- Sara including the tape will lay flat against the The wedging tongue member I6, which is adapted to be cooperatively engaged with the base member I0, has its side edges I'I upwardly converging and beveled at the forward side, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 8, in substantial parallel relation to the inclined inner walls I2 of the flanges I I. At the lower end of the tongue member I6 there is provided a widened portion having a tape receiving slot I8. The dimensions of the tongue member are such that when the thickness of the stocking is interposed between the base member and the tongue member, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the tongue member will not be fully engaged, so that upward pulling pressure thereon will tend to exert a continuous wedging and tightening action thereon.

The tape member I9 is of a width substantially greater than the space between the edges of the flange formations I I, so that it will firmly engage over the upper sides thereof in the operative position. This tape member is extended downwardly through the slot I3 of the base member, and its end portion is engaged through the slot I8 of the tongue member from the forward to the rearward side and is folded back upon itself and secured by a row of stitching 20, the end of the tape being extended in free relation beyond the stitching to provide a finger grip tab 2I. The stitching 20 is sufliciently spaced from the slot in the end of the tongue member so that the tongue member may have free turning movement in the loop of the tape.

Above the base member the tape is extended through an adjuster 22, this adjuster being of one-piece form having a central cross-bar 23. and being provided in the edge of its top bar with a plurality of a prong teeth 24. The tape is extended through the adjuster and is carried over the link member of the elastic garter tape 26, being thereupon carried downwardly at the rear and having its end portion extended through the adjuster where it is hemmed over at 21 to provide a retaining abutment to retain it from being -10 pulled back through the adjuster. This arrangement of the tape and adjuster provides a convenient adjustment means by which the tape may be lengthened or shortened as desired, and which will not become displaced through pulling, the prong teeth 24 engaging in the tape to prevent it from slipping in the adjuster through upward pull upon the tape.

In the operation of the hose supporter, according to the invention, the recessed base member I0 is engaged beneath the stocking top and the wedge tongue member I6 is extended downwardly by pulling the tape I9 through the slot I3, as shown clearly in Fig. 9. The position of the stocking in overlying relation to the rounded flange portions I I of the base member is indicated by the dot-and-dash lines. Thereupon the wedge tongue member I6 is swung upwardly, so that its edges converge upwardly and the forward side provided with the beveled edge surfaces I1 is disposed forwardly, as shown in Fig. 10, the contracted end being in line with the converging recess of the base member between the flanges II. As soon as the small end is entered beneath the wide end of the recess, with a portion of the stocking top pressed against the base member between the flanges I I, the tape is pulled upwardly by means of the tab end 2|, drawing the wedge tongue member into tightened wedging engagement between the base member and the 7 wedge tongue member, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

.In the normal fastened position of the supporter the upward pull of the tape in cooperation with the slot I3 tends to pull the wedging tongue member upwardly and hold the base member downwardly, so that there is no chance of the fastening becoming disengaged. At the same time the stocking is securely held, so that it will not slip through strain imposed thereon, and the' rounded surfaces upon which the stocking is engaged prevent any possibility of tearing. The upward pull upon the tape causes it to press down upon the portion of the stocking interposed between the tape and the outer rounded surfaces of the flange portions II, thereby increasing the holding effect and pressing the stocking into smooth non-wrinkling position in surrounding relation to the fastening. Also the holding down effect of the tape takes a part of any strain exerted upon the stocking, so that this strain is not entirely imposed against the portion of the stocking interlocked between the base member and the wedge tongue member. To disengage the fastening the tab 2| is pulled downwardly to pull the wedge tongue member out of engagement with the base member.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a garment supporter, clasp means comprising a pair of cooperating wedge members each including cooperating wedge surfaces converging upwardly adapted to be interlockingly engaged with a portion of the garment therebetween, and a suspension tape member for connection to a supporting garment spaced upwardly from the garment to be supported secured to one of said wedge members and slidably engaged with the other of said members adapted through pull upward to exert a wedging force thereon.

2. In a garment supporter, clasp means comprising a pair of cooperating wedge members each including cooperating wedge surfaces converging upwardly adapted to be interlockingly engaged with a portion of the garment therebetween, and a suspension tape member for connection to a supporting garment spaced upwardly from the garment to be supported secured to the lower end of one of said wedge members and slidably engaged with the upper end of the other of said wedge members and adapted through pull in an upward direction to exert a wedging force between said wedging members.

3. In a garment supporter, clasp means comprising a base member having a pair of spaced upwardly converging flange portions its forward side and having a slot in its upper end, a wedging tongue member having converging side edges converging upwardly and adapted to be wedgingly engaged between said flanges with a portion of the garment therebetween, and a suspension tape member for connection to a supporting garment spaced upwardly from the garment to be supported slidably engaged in said slot, said tape member being wider than the space between said flange portions and extending at its marginal portions over said flange portions to compress portions of the supported garment between said flange portions and said tape and secured to said wedging tongue member at its lower divergent gaged with said Wedging formation through up- 10 ward engagement of said free end with said wed ing formation, and a suspension tape member, for connection to a supporting garment spaced upwardly from the garment to be supported, secured to said tape attaching means at the lower end of said Wedging member, extending upwardly in overlying relation thereto and adapted through upward pull to exert a wedging force thereon.

SIN ON J. FALSEY. 

